Age isnā??t slowing David Ortiz, who hit .688 with a .760 on-base percentage in helping the Red Sox to a World Series victory. / Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

For those who just can't let go of those most valuable player debates, take note.

USA TODAY Sports' Team 2013 - the best team a reasonable amount of money can buy - has both MVP runners-up but not the guys who won the awards. It includes neither batting champion, neither league's home run leader and only one of the Cy Young Award winners.

But it does have the wins above replacement (WAR) leader in each league: Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And it's a realistic team at a realistic payroll that should be able to match up against any team money can buy thanks to a standout pitching rotation and a shutdown bullpen.

This is our annual exercise of selecting not an all-star team but rather a realistic 25-man roster: a No. 1 starter, No. 2 starter, No. 3 starter, etc., a bullpen with each role covered, a starting lineup and a complete bench.

And we pick players who actually filled those roles during the past season.

We also pick a manager, hitting coach and pitching coach.

Every year, we cap our team's payroll at the major league median, the number halfway between the 15th- and 16th-highest payrolls in the majors.

This time, that figure is $91,522,500 - up from $85,753,488 in 2012.

Even with the extra dollars, the selection process was more difficult than a year ago, when we included both MVPs, a Cy Young winner and a rookie of the year with a payroll that would have ranked 24th in the majors.

This year, we spent more than $88 million and had to make a couple of tough choices based on salaries. That's why there wasn't room for American League MVP Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers and his $21 million bill but there was for runner-up Trout at $510,000.

And Trout's presence in center field kept National League MVP Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates off the team, though runner-up Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks was an easy choice at $500,000.

Still, we carefully picked our spots to cut financial corners. There were no compromises on catcher Yadier Molina and designated hitter David Ortiz, our highest-paid players at $14 million each. The same for NL Cy Young winner Kershaw and his $11 million.

Trout is one of two repeaters from Team 2012. The other is St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter, who made the squad a year ago as the utility player.

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Read on to see how we settled on our team:

Catcher

Yadier Molina, Cardinals: A brief spell on the disabled list might have been enough to hamper his NL MVP chances, but it's still no contest when it comes to the combination of all aspects of the game at his position. At $14 million, he's tied for the highest salary on our roster. Those are guys who often are vulnerable when we must make the tough decisions in filling out our team. Molina's excellence put him in the no-compromise category.

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First base

Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks: He could have been the NL MVP if Arizona had a better season. But the league leader in home runs, RBI and OPS (on-base-plus slugging) certainly qualifies for the most-bang-for-the-buck conversation. At $500,000, Goldschmidt was so good in 2013 - Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and Hank Aaron awards - that his salary wasn't even a factor in being selected for a team. Oh, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

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Second base

Matt Carpenter, Cardinals: We understand why the Seattle Mariners had no qualms about breaking the bank for Robinson Cano. But we have a broader choice of cost-effectiveness, and that means $504,000 for NL All-Star Carpenter over the $15 million the Yankees paid Cano in 2013. Carpenter's 6.7 offensive WAR compares well against Cano's 6.8, making this a prime spot for us to find significant savings.

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Shortstop

Andrelton Simmons, Braves: Few players can thrust themselves onto MVP ballots primarily for their defensive ability. Simmons certainly wasn't a factor in that NL voting, but he finished 14th as six voters noticed that he ranked eighth in the majors in WAR among position players. Not bad for a guy who hit .248 with 17 homers and 59 RBI. But the 24-year-old passed the eye test, winning a Gold Glove, and had the metrics to back it up. Simmons' 5.4 defensive WAR easily was the best in the majors at any position.

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Third base

Josh Donaldson, Athletics: Let's get it right out in the open - Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball. But Donaldson hit the radar when we unveiled the MVP Tracker at USA TODAY Sports. There was the Oakland third baseman providing a higher percentage of his team's WAR than even the now two-time MVP from Detroit. And by the end of the year, there was Donaldson at fourth in MVP voting with one first-place vote. His WAR was second only to Trout's in the AL, and that was enough to make us comfortable using Donaldson's $492,500 salary to our advantage over Cabrera's $21 million.

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Left field

Starling Marte, Pirates: Add another young bargain player - at $500,000 - to our list at a position that was among the weaker in the majors in 2013. Marte can thank the Angels for playing Trout in center field for the majority of his games. Still, Marte was a catalyst from the leadoff spot in his first full season, and his defensive WAR was second only to catcher Russell Martin's on the upstart Pirates.

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Center field

Mike Trout, Angels: This is where we start - annually it seems - at least until that day comes when the game's best young player begins cashing in. Even then it will be difficult to ignore that production that makes him the lightning rod for MVP debates even when his team isn't a factor in the playoff race. He has back-to-back runner-up finishes in the balloting, but Trout remains an easy winner here.

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Right field

Shane Victorino, Red Sox: Right field didn't have the star quality we are used to, but this turned out to be a tough decision between two players - Victorino and Arizona's Gerardo Parra - who both could boast intangibles as a potential tiebreaker. Victorino had the offensive edge and that added postseason factor, but we had Parra in our back pocket right up until we tallied the payroll, knowing his $2.35 million could have been an alternative to Victorino's $13 million.

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Designated hitter

David Ortiz, Red Sox: The DH-only player might soon go the way of the dinosaur but, for the time being, having one with the power and presence of a T-Rex suits the middle of our lineup just fine. Ortiz continues to dominate the position at 38, winning his seventh Edgar Martinez Award as top DH after leading Boston in nearly every offensive category. His gap over the competition makes his $14 million salary a must to include.

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BENCH

Catcher

Yan Gomes, Indians: His value at the plate and behind it was enough to begin to blur the lines between starter and backup in Cleveland. Gomes, snagged in the offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that also brought key bench component Mike Aviles to Cleveland, posted an .826 OPS that was topped only by starting catcher Carlos Santana among Indians regulars.

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Infielder

Jordy Mercer, Pirates: This was the season the 26-year-old eased into the major leagues, but Mercer's performance also signaled the transition is just beginning toward a full-time job. Shortstop is the most available position for now in Pittsburgh, but the Pirates would miss Mercer's versatility. He played all four infield positions while contributing solid defense and hit .285.

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Outfield

Craig Gentry, Rangers: We had made our selections before the December flurry of trades that included Gentry, but a little bit of Billy Beane validation doesn't hurt. Oakland acquired Gentry for most of the same reasons we put him on our roster: a center field-capable outfielder who can handle all three positions with strong defense and exceptional speed that also plays into his offensive assets. One of the game's more efficient baserunners, he also has a disciplined, contact-first approach at the plate.

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Super-utility

Ryan Raburn, Indians: Released by Detroit after the 2012 season, he became a crucial component in a Cleveland revival as impressive as his personal one. He had 55 RBI in 243 at-bats. His .543 slugging and .901 OPS were career bests, and his .357 on-base percentage was two points short of his best. Raburn played left field, right field and second base - and even pitched a perfect inning - and has spent time at first, third and center field as a major leaguer. And manager Terry Francona used him in every batting order slot.

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Pinch-hitter

Jonny Gomes, Red Sox: The second Gomes on our team is unusual in that AL players seldom get enough opportunities to win our pinch-hitting job. His 1.405 OPS - including four home runs - in 30 pinch-hit appearances was enough to give him the edge over the Cardinals' Matt Adams. Besides, one thing we learned from Boston's season is that it's good to have Gomes on your bench and in your clubhouse.

***

Starting pitcher 1

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: The best pitcher in baseball, the highest-paid pitcher on our staff and little question that we can afford to include him at $11 million: That's the Kershaw formula, thanks to the arbitration-avoiding two-year extension he signed before the 2012 season. The on-field formula is a league leader in ERA and strikeouts as well as a second Cy Young Award in three seasons.

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Starting pitcher 2

Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners: It's a reasonable argument that Iwakuma was the best pitcher on the Seattle staff, but it's just as certain Felix Hernandez is the ace of that rotation. Iwakuma led AL pitchers in WAR and was a top-five finisher in ERA, WHIP, innings and walk-to-strikeout ratio - all at the bargain price of $6.5 million.

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Starting pitcher 3

Anibal Sanchez, Tigers: Just like the Tigers, our squad benefits from the quality at the top of the Detroit pitching rotation. The presence of Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and previous winner Justin Verlander pushes two Tigers starters down the pecking order and right into selections for our roster. The first is Sanchez, who led the AL with a 2.57 ERA.

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Starting pitcher 4

Doug Fister, Tigers: Fister's contributions weren't lost in a rotation that produced a second name on the Cy Young Award list. Fister's 4.1 pitching WAR ranked 12th in the AL - but fourth in the Detroit rotation. The Washington Nationals noticed enough to make him a target in one of the more significant deals of the offseason - and he'll likely be the No. 4 guy in the rotation there, too. But he might not come as cheap as his $4 million salary in 2013 - a 14-9 year and top-10 AL finish in walks per nine innings and walk-to-strikeout ratio would play well in arbitration.

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Starting pitcher 5

Ivan Nova, Yankees: Nova's struggles in the early part of the regular season contributed to the Yankees' season-long search for pitching depth. But after a brief visit to the minors, he emerged as one of the team's more dependable starters. Nova had a 2.70 ERA after returning in late June, including allowing two or fewer runs in nine of his 16 starts. Over the second half of the season, he led Yankees starters in ERA and tied Andy Pettitte for best WHIP.

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Closer

Koji Uehara, Red Sox: Midway through the season, it was difficult to imagine anyone taking this spot away from the Atlanta Braves' dominant Craig Kimbrel. But Uehara became virtually unhittable after taking over the Boston ninth-inning role in late June. He allowed 14 hits in 45 innings over his last 42 regular-season appearances, making us resist the temptation to take Kimbrel's $655,000 salary over Uehara's $4.25 million.

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Right-handed reliever

Mark Melancon, Pirates: An effective stretch filling in while closer Jason Grilli was injured only enhanced Melancon's position here. Chosen to the All-Star team as a setup man, Melancon took a quantum leap in 2013. His 1.39 ERA was half his previous best, and his 70 strikeouts and eight walks in 71 innings more than doubled his previous best ratio.

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Right-handed specialist

Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals: St. Louis didn't make him closer until the end of the season, leaving the hard-throwing 23-year-old available in just about any role we wanted. He still could end up in the rotation, but his 108 strikeouts in 751/3 innings was the top ratio in the majors for non-closers.

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Left-handed reliever

Drew Smyly, Tigers: It might not be much solace to a guy with the talent to be a starter, but Smyly's bullpen work became crucial to Detroit's success. He was so good the Tigers expect him to relieve again in 2014, though he'd be among the first in line if injuries surface. His 81 strikeouts and 62 hits allowed in 76 innings included two saves of three perfect innings.

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Left-handed specialist

Luis Avilan, Braves: Some of the names change, but there's always a gem or two in the Atlanta bullpen. A minor league starter, Avilan took his nasty curveball into a relief role and dominated left-handed hitters at 23. Lefties hit .144 against Avilan (not that right-handers' .202 average was any picnic), and the swing-and-miss rate against the curve was close to double the league average.

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Long relief-spot starter

Chad Gaudin, Giants: It's not often a 30-year-old who has played for nine teams finds his way onto our annual team - safe to say it's unprecedented. But Gaudin, who hadn't started a game in the majors since 2009 and whose last save came in 2006, used 12 starts and 18 relief appearances to compile 97 innings and a career-best 3.06 ERA. His outings ranged from one-third to seven innings; his ERA was 2.05 in relief, 3.53 as a starter.

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IN THE DUGOUT

Manager

John Farrell, Red Sox: We'll gladly accept the luxury of assessing the postseason, something manager of the year voters didn't have to decide between the strong candidacies of Farrell and Cleveland's Terry Francona. The Boston front office gets plenty of credit for the roster remake, but players make it clear Farrell provided the steadiness and accountability that was crucial to the World Series title.

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Batting coach

Ty Van Burkleo, Indians: Francona narrowly missed being our choice for manager, but there's room to help explain just where those Indians came from in 2013. The Cleveland offense was a top-five finisher in the AL in on-base percentage, walks and pitches per plate appearance. Plus, the team's offensive WAR was second in the league to Boston - all without a top-five individual finisher in any key offensive category. And the depth of Cleveland's attack shows with two unexpected Indians on our Team 2013 bench.

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Pitching coach

Roger McDowell, Braves: It's a rich tradition, the long line of pitchers who keep showing up in Atlanta. But that line was longer than ever as injuries forced the Braves to keep dipping into the pipeline. The Braves used 21 pitchers - including 10 starters - and still led the majors with a 3.18 ERA. Seven starters had ERAs under 4.00, and the bullpen also was a major league best with a 2.46 ERA.

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